Woman on Vacation in Mexico Sent to Jail After Police Make Unexpected Find in Bag

By: D.G. Cummings | February 19, 2019

When you think of vacation, you think of relaxation and fun. What Jessica and Jordan Carver weren’t expecting was to spend time in jail.

The Utah couple were vacationing in Puerto Vallarta when the airport found over-the-counter Sudafed pills in their luggage. The Carver’s said they were victims of a scam on tourists that include other recent cases where visitors to Mexico are shaken down for money when they are found to be in possession of cold medicine.

They were told at the airport that the pills were a substance not allowed in the country, and Jessica was eventually thrown in jail. When Jessica refused to sign a document in Spanish proclaiming her guilt, things got physical.

“Two other guys came up and grabbed me and threw me down on the chair while two other girls grabbed Jessica and were yanking her out of her chair,” Jordan Carver told KSL.com.

Their family members were reaching out to Utah elected officials, attorneys and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Carvers say that added pressure probably helped them get out of the situation quicker.

They had to pay an attorney $1,500 to negotiate with local authorities and the U.S. Consulate.

“I know that some of the other cases got off way worse than we did,” Jessica Carver said. “Take one pill on the airplane, and then don’t bring any others because it was ridiculous.”